Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said the football world must get used to the idea that Lionel Messi will retire in the near future, adding that he will cherish being able to tell people he was able to coach the Argentine.

Messi, ranked the No. 1 forward in the ESPN FC 100, was crowned world player of the year for a record sixth time when he received the Ballon d'Or in Paris on Monday and set alarm bells ringing by saying in his speech "you enjoy these moments more because my retirement is getting...

It's been said that sportsmen die twice, the first time when they retire. And when that sportsman is Lionel Messi, everyone else dies, too.

This might sound like a wild exaggeration, and of course it is... or is it? This week, at least, it didn't feel so far off. When Messi collected the Ballon d'Or on Monday night, voted the world's best player for the sixth time a full 10 extraordinary years after the first, he said something with a power that belied its banality, a simple truth. That day...

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In the run-up to the January transfer window, we're ranking some of the best and worst signings by Europe's elite clubs over the past decade -- just as we did for the English Premier League.

We looked at every arrival from the 2009-10 season onward -- though only permanent deals count, meaning no loans or promotions from the youth team -- and whittled down each list to five.

There's no magic formula...

Barcelona teenager Ansu Fati has signed a new contract with the Spanish champions until 2022 increasing his buy-out clause from €100 million to €170m.

Ansu, who turned 17 in October, only signed his first professional deal with the club in July but those terms were agreed with the assumption he would be playing for the under-19s and B team.

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He has since broken into the first team, featuring 11 times this season,...

Atletico Madrid could still face punishment from the Spanish FA after their supporters abused former player Antoine Griezmann with "die" chants during Sunday's Spanish league match against Barcelona.

Reports initially suggested the club had escaped punishment after their fans made threatening chants but the Spanish FA has subsequently clarified to ESPN that a €301 ($333) fine was specifically for objects being thrown onto the pitch during the game, including an umbrella.

A separate...